- Balochistan Assembly Adopts Nine Resolutions, Skips Question Hour
- Ministerial or member’s absence causes deferment of all Starred Questions
- Points of Order consume 15 percent of the proceedings
- Deputy Speaker office lying vacant since December 2015
ISLAMABAD, November 2, 2017: The Provincial Assembly of Balochistan adopted nine resolutions while no legislative business appeared on the list of business during five-sitting session held between October 21 and October 31, 2017, observes FAFEN’s report on the 45th session of the House.
The Assembly did not held Question Hour throughout the session. As many as 16 Starred Questions remain unaddressed due to absence of either member or concerned minister.
Imbalanced distribution of resource among provinces, delay in development schemes and construction works, revision of allocated seats for Balochistan in Provincial and National Assembly and constitution of a Provincial Finance Commission remained the most debated issues in the House.
On an average, 17 percent lawmakers were observed to be present at the start of the proceedings and 15 percent at the adjournment of sitting. Similarly, each sitting started 35 minutes behind the scheduled time and lasted on average two hours and 31 minutes. The cumulative duration of five sittings was 12 hours and 38 minutes.
The Speaker attended four sittings and presided over the proceedings for eight hours and 16 minutes (65 percent of the session) while a Member of Panel of Chairpersons chaired the rest of the proceedings (four hours and 22 minute). The post of Deputy Speaker is lying vacant since December 2015. The Leader of the House (Chief Minister) attended one sitting during the session for an hour while the Leader of the Opposition remained present in one sitting for three hours and six minutes. The parliamentary leader of PML attended all the sittings while the NP and MWM leaders attended four sittings each. Moreover, the leader of ANP was present in two sittings and JUI-F, PkMPA and PML-N in one sitting each. The parliamentary leader of BNP remained absent during the entire session.
The Assembly adopted nine resolutions during the session. Among the adopted resolutions, three were jointly sponsored by lawmaker while as many were tabled by the treasury lawmakers. In addition, three resolutions were individually sponsored by Private Members. Lawmakers belonging to PML-N, PkMAP, NP, PML, and JUI-F participated in tabling adopted resolutions. Moreover, the House referred a resolution, moved by PML-N lawmaker, concerning rates of the development works to the standing committee concerned.
The adopted resolutions were about condemning the suicide attack on a police vehicle and target killing of a Police Inspector in Quetta, demanding the federal government to restore Waseela-e-Haq and Waseela-e-Rozgar schemes under Benazir Income Support Program, recommending the federal government to distribute oil and gas resources in the province according to the agreed terms in the Eighteenth Constitutional Amendment, recommending the government to take steps for preservation and promotion of Balochistan’s archaeological sites, recommending the installation of speed-monitoring system on Quetta Airport road, urging the provincial government to move the federal government for amendments in Income Tax Ordinance 2001 and shifting the zonal offices of industries set up in Hub district of Balochistan from Karachi to Hub, recommending the provincial government to approach the federal government for revision of the seats allocated to Balochistan in National and Provincial Assembly as per increase in population census, recommending the provincial government to approach the federal government for installation of traffic monitoring system to avoid road accidents and urging the government to constitute the Provincial Finance Commission for fair distribution of resources among districts of the province.
The Assembly approved three motions for extension in presentation period of the committee reports. Extension for a month in presentation period was granted to two reports of the standing committee on Services and General Administration and one report of the Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges.
According to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Balochistan Assembly, the first hour of a sitting of the House except on private members’ day, is reserved for asking and answering of questions notices given by the members. However, the Assembly did not held question hour during the session and as many as 15 Starred Questions that appeared on the list of items during three sittings remained unaddressed due to absence of the mover or minister concerned.
The House took up five out of 14 Call Attention Notices (CANs) appearing on the agenda. The relevant departments provided written responses against five notices regarding placement of Balochistan Constabulary personnel in their respective districts, appointments through fake domiciles in public departments on job quota reserved for Balochistan province, poor conditions of tourist places in Quetta, Installation of traffic signals on main roads and Solid-waste management in Quetta.
Three CANs regarding formation of Provincial Council for disable persons, compliance of recommendations of the Standing Committee on Home & Tribal Affairs and illegal settlements by dwellers in various areas were referred to the concerned standing committees while six notices about issues related to governance were deferred due to absence of either its mover or the concerned minister.
Lawmakers belonging to PML-N raised six CANs while members of PkMPA and NP raised four Call Attention Notices each during the session.
Lawmakers spoke on 28 Points of Order (POs) during the session, consuming an hour and 57 minutes of the proceedings (15 percent of the session). As many as nine POs were raised by PkMAP lawmakers followed by seven by NP, five by JUI-F, three by ANP, two by PML-N and one each by PML and MWM lawmakers. The political issues and governance matters were amongst main issues discussed during POs.
A lawmaker belonging to JUI-F submitted an Adjournment Motion during first sitting demanding discussion on incidents of terrorism in Mastung and Gwadar which was rejected by the House. Quorum was pointed out by a JUI-F lawmaker during fourth sitting resulting in early adjournment of the sitting.
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